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Topic: What are most people using for processing RAW (Read 26641 times)

For my 40D raw files I've been using Elements 8 for some time.Now I'm about to get a 5D MK III, I'll not be able to use Elements 8 as it's version of ACR isn't compatible with this camera. I can't afford a copy of Photoshop CS6 so whats my best option? What do most people use? I guess the answer is Lightroom 4.1.

For my 40D raw files I've been using Elements 8 for some time.Now I'm about to get a 5D MK III, I'll not be able to use Elements 8 as it's version of ACR isn't compatible with this camera. I can't afford a copy of Photoshop CS6 so whats my best option? What do most people use? I guess the answer is Lightroom 4.1.

Mac users use Aperture, pc users use Lightroom. Of course, there are many users who use other software, they are all pretty good, but I believe that more raw photographers use the two above.Photoshop can do it too, but its overkill for most processing.Nothing wrong with using Elements, just upgrade if you like it, or convert images to DNG and keep using Elements 8.

Does anyone use Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) that comes free with the EOS camera? Is it any good compared to LR or PS Elements? I haven't tried LR or PSE and just started shooting RAW and processed my photos with DPP. I hope to soon learn PP using LR and/or PSE. Thanks for your thoughts.

ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) on CS5 is what I've been using for quite a while, and I tell you, the before and afters are incredible. I just bought a 5Dmk3 the other week, so just to let you know you'll need to download ACR 6.7, as all the earlier versions aren't compatible (really freaked me out at first when it didn't work). I've heard a lot of people say you can't edit 5Dmk3 RAW files unless you upgrade to CS6, but that is quite false.

Lightroom V 4.1 is my RAW converter of choice and LR has been number one for me since the first version was in public beta. After test driving just about every RAW converter on the planet, for me it always kept coming back to LR not just for the great conversions but its whole workflow setup, particularly when working with very big shoots.

Most other RAW converters are extremely good, and deliver perfect conversions but it was a business decision as much as anything else to stay with LR. I know it backwards and inside out now and can work through a big batch of files very quickly in a way that only comes with the deep understanding and experience that you get working with the same program every day. One of the very cool features is History in the develop panel.

Photoshop, the newest ACR really has various exposure control sliders that work super well, finally they work much closer to how you had always hoped such sliders from some program would work. It also has auto CA removal now and the NR work better and better with each version and so on. It's a little prone to color moire during de-Bayer, but that seems to be the only negative mixed in among lots of positives.

Does anyone use Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) that comes free with the EOS camera? Is it any good compared to LR or PS Elements? I haven't tried LR or PSE and just started shooting RAW and processed my photos with DPP. I hope to soon learn PP using LR and/or PSE. Thanks for your thoughts.

i actually prefer the quality (less noise) of DPP - you really should do a side-by-side comparison of DPP to LR41 - i have - and i'm convinced

problem is.. the workflow in DPP is atrocious

i'm seriously considering just "brute forcing" it - batch process all my RAW through DPP to TIFFs, then import into LR41, including 1:1 previews - and just eat up HD space..*shrug*